


i just wanna make you feel okay

by sunlacie



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Canon Compliant, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:49:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24321574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunlacie/pseuds/sunlacie
Summary: Jeno appears to have finished talking to their choreographer and is just now noticing Renjun, his facial expression unreadable as he sits on the floor. “What’s wrong?” Jeno asks, bending over to meet Renjun’s eyes. “Aren’t you leaving yet?”Renjun nods once, his lips set in a firm line. “Give me a second, I think I vomited in my mouth a little,” he tells Jeno grimly.-In which Donghyuck and Jaemin are practically married by everyone else's standards. The only thing missing is a contract - besides, if a contract was all it took, they'd be married to SM Entertainment.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Na Jaemin
Comments: 28
Kudos: 572





	i just wanna make you feel okay

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted this fic but it didn't exist so I wrote it
> 
> based off of my own tweet
> 
> please leave a comment if you enjoy the story! thank you, and thank you for reading!

“Good job, everyone,” their choreographer says, clapping his hands, and the members take that as their cue to drop to the floor in exhaustion. Renjun gingerly sits down, bracing his weight on his hands as he blinks the sweat out of his eyes. “I just want to do a quick dry rehearsal again tomorrow, but you’re basically done. Rest up – you’ll do great at the concert live.”

Renjun massages a sore spot on his shoulder, carefully stretching the tired muscle. Most of the staff in the practice room with them start filtering out, leaving only their manager and the choreographer still waiting for them to gather themselves together. Jisung and Chenle are the first to shuffle out of the room, while Jeno sidles up to the choreographer to quietly ask something about the dance break they’d incorporated into Boom’s choreography. Renjun looks around for the two remaining members, and finds a quiet little scene playing out in front of him.

Donghyuck is lying down flat on the floor, hands covering his eyes, while Jaemin stands over him, a bottle of water at the ready. They’re all tired, but Donghyuck especially so. They’re all careful to take care of him in subtle ways, make things easier for him, especially since he has to practice for 127’s Beyond Live concert right after finishing Dream’s.

Renjun takes his time stretching his torso out, feeling relief seep into his muscles as he watches Jaemin hover over Donghyuck. Eventually, the latter peeks through his fingers, seeing Jaemin’s face looming over his.

“Nana,” he hears Donghyuck call, and Jaemin is sitting beside him faster than anything. “What is it?” Jaemin asks quietly, leaning over Donghyuck’s face. “Are you tired?”

Donghyuck unclasps his fingers and reaches out with one hand to poke Jaemin’s cheek. “Hi,” he says softly, before digging his finger into Jaemin’s skin. “You look gross up close.”

His voice is so quiet that Renjun barely hears it, and it’s covered up even more by the surprised laughter that bursts out of Jaemin. “You’re one to talk,” Jaemin says, and he extends his hands to Donghyuck in a wordless gesture. Donghyuck grasps onto him by the wrists and uses them to support himself as he gets up, swaying slightly on his feet once he’s up.

Jaemin stands still to steady him. “Are you okay? Are you tired?” he asks again. He bends his knees slightly to look at Donghyuck’s face, hidden slightly by his fringe. “I keep telling you not to push yourself so hard.”

Donghyuck’s head falls onto Jaemin’s shoulder, his hand inching lower to interlace his fingers with Jaemin’s. “I keep telling you I’m _fine_ ,” he whines, although no one really believes him. Donghyuck on a high may seem the very definition of life and energy, true, whether he’s performing on stage or simply outrunning Jisung in a race to Jeno’s computer. But when he crashes, he crashes hard, and they’ve all been around long enough to see it happen several times. “I just need a little rest, and then I’ll be fine.”

Jaemin purses his lips and doesn’t push it, instead offering the water bottle still in his hand. “Drink some of this,” he tells Donghyuck, who doesn’t protest. He simply takes the bottle with a lengthy, exaggerated “ _okay_ ,” before chugging down more than half of its contents.

When he’s finished, he hands the bottle back to Jaemin, wiping his lips with his free hand. “Let’s go, I feel gross, I wanna take a shower at the dorm,” Donghyuck whines, pouting up at Jaemin.

“Alright, alright, let’s go,” Jaemin says, smiling down at him. The depth of the fondness in his expression is indescribable. He squeezes Donghyuck’s hand and leads him to the door, Donghyuck shuffling behind him. “Are you gonna stay at our dorm or are you gonna – ”

“I’m going to Dream’s,” Renjun hears Donghyuck say, just before they exit the room. “Johnny-hyung’s been listening to some of Jaehyun-hyung’s records lately and he plays them so loud that I can’t even hear myself thinking in our room.”

Their voices fade out naturally, Donghyuck’s voice automatically turning childish as he continues to complain. Renjun remains there on the floor, still locked in a prolonged stretch.

Jeno appears to have finished talking to their choreographer and is just now noticing Renjun, his facial expression unreadable as he sits on the floor. “What’s wrong?” Jeno asks, bending over to meet Renjun’s eyes. “Aren’t you leaving yet?”

Renjun nods once, his lips set in a firm line. “Give me a second, I think I vomited in my mouth a little,” he tells Jeno grimly.

-

Jeno stretches out on the living area couch, claiming most of it to himself. His head hangs upside down, almost touching the floor. Jaemin walks past, freshly showered, and looks at him in amusement.

“You’re gonna fall off,” Jaemin says, and Jeno replies by kicking one of his feet up. The movement causes him to shift, and he really does end up falling off the couch, landing on his head with a soft thump on the carpet. “See, dummy,” Jaemin laughs, taking a seat on one of the other chairs.

Jeno rubs his head with a good-natured smile, getting up to sit on the couch in a more secure way. “I was comfortable that way, though,” he complains, pulling one of the pillows over to hug. They sit in an amicable silence, not sleepy enough to go to bed despite the tiredness pulling at their limbs. Jeno scrolls mindlessly on his phone, watching videos on YouTube – he saves a fancam of Chenle from when they performed Trigger the Fever in his “watch later” playlist, smiling fondly at the cute thumbnail – while Jaemin dozes off, not really doing anything.

There’s some noise in the direction of the kitchen, the soft clatter of a pot being placed on the stove. Jeno looks up from his phone to see Jaemin perk up, eyes flitting over to the kitchen. Jeno follows his gaze and turns to see Donghyuck standing over the counter, opening what looks to be a pack of ramen.

Jaemin’s eyes get bright and shiny, the way they do when he finds something funny, or when he’s about to burst out with his terrifyingly cute aegyo. Jeno sees him tracking the uncooked noodles in Donghyuck’s hand with his eyes, and sighs.

“Don’t try to take his food, Nana,” Jeno chides him softly. Donghyuck isn’t stingy, but he’s liable to kick up a fuss if anyone touches his food. He doesn’t really feel like dealing with a whiny Donghyuck this late in the evening, so it’s probably best to act proactively.

“I’m not going to take it,” Jaemin protests, already getting up. “I’ll just ask him to make more.”

That’s not as likely to set Donghyuck off, but he can be unpredictably moody when he’s tired. Jeno sighs, getting up to follow Jaemin to try and minimize the damage.

Donghyuck is standing in front of the pot, watching the ramen bubble merrily along. He’s wearing his black Sinners hoodie with the hood up, drawstrings pulled tight the way they usually are when he’s in a sulky mood.

“Jaemin – ” Jeno tries one last time, but Jaemin is already sneaking up behind Donghyuck and wrapping his arms around his waist, resting his chin on Donghyuck’s shoulder.

“Haechannie,” Jaemin says cutely, laying the charm on thick. Jeno just ruffles his own hair in mild exasperation, walking over to the fridge to get a drink. “Can you pwease, pwease, _pwease_ make me some ramen, too?”

Jeno pulls out a thermos filled with juice, closing the fridge door quietly as he waits for Donghyuck to start complaining. When a few seconds of Jaemin pleading goes by uninterrupted, he looks up, wondering why there’s no argument brewing.

Donghyuck continues to stare at the pot, a slightly sullen look in his eyes that makes Jeno apprehensive. Still, he isn’t shrugging Jaemin off or anything, so that’s a good sign, right?

After a few more seconds of Jaemin doing his best baby impression, Donghyuck finally caves, a loud, long-suffering sigh escaping his lips. “Aish – I already put in three packs of ramen, I knew you’d come over and bother me for some,” Donghyuck says irritably. It’s only then that Jeno looks down at the counter and sees that, yeah, there are three empty packets of ramen resting on the surface.

“Thank you very much, Lee Donghyuck-ssi,” Jaemin says, using a voice that’s closer to his normal tone. He looks at Jeno, chin still resting on Donghyuck’s shoulder, and sticks his tongue out at him. _I told you so_ , he seems to be saying, although Jaemin hadn’t really said anything to Jeno prior to this.

Jeno just shakes his head, laughing softly. “Is the other pack of ramen for me, Haechannie?” he asks.

“No,” Donghyuck mutters. “Even if I get out a pack for Jaemin, he still tries to eat from my bowl. I just want to eat my ramen in peace without him bothering me for more.”

“I’ll still try to get some from your bowl, though,” Jaemin says, and this time Donghyuck turns around for real, whacking him in the shoulder even as Jaemin’s hands linger on his waist. “Yah, Na Jaemin, don’t you dare,” Donghyuck says severely, shaking his finger at him. His angry expression is severely undercut by the fact that his hood is still drawn tight over his face, and both Jeno and Jaemin laugh at him, not threatened in the least.

Jeno puts his thermos down on the table and rummages through the dishrack for two bowls. “Here,” he says, setting them on the counter near the stove. Donghyuck’s expression softens. “Thanks, Jeno-yah,” he says quietly, turning back to the ramen. Jeno smiles at him, then pats Jaemin’s shoulder to get his attention.

“Don’t bother him too much,” he mouths, motioning his head towards Donghyuck. Jaemin just smiles, shaking his head slightly as he readjusts his hold around Donghyuck’s waist. “I know,” he mouths back, resting his head against Donghyuck’s.

Jeno returns to the living area, picking up his phone again. He finishes his juice as he returns to idly scrolling through YouTube, telling himself that it isn’t eavesdropping if Donghyuck and Jaemin are speaking loud enough to be heard.

“Get the chopsticks – let go of me, Nana, get the chopsticks.”

“Okay, okay, I’m going, I’m going – ”

Jeno hears the scraping of the chairs against the floor as they pull them back, sitting together at the table. “My soup is watery, yours got all the seasoning,” he hears Jaemin complain.

“Aish, really, Jaemin – the soup all came from the same pot, stop complaining.”

He hears Jaemin chuckle, and then it’s quiet and peaceful again. Then, so quietly that Jeno almost misses it, Jaemin asks, “Do you want a strawberry milk?”

“You guys have strawberry milk?” Donghyuck asks, voice full of surprise. Now that Jeno thinks about it, that _is_ unusual. None of the members have a particular liking for the drink, most especially not Jaemin. Donghyuck likes fruity stuff like that, but he doesn’t live in this dorm…

“Yeah, I got some the last time I went out.”

Oh.

It’s like that.

Jeno tries to bury his smile behind his phone as he shifts on the couch, listening to Jaemin stand up and open the fridge to fetch the drink in question. He can’t see it, but he imagines the sulky pout on Donghyuck’s face being replaced by a small smile as he sees one of his favorite drinks. _Na Jaemin, you’re good_.

“Thanks,” Donghyuck says, presumably taking the drink. “I’m surprised you guys even had this.”

“I must have grabbed it by accident when I went to the convenience store,” Jaemin says casually, and it’s so funny that Jeno has to keep himself from laughing out loud.

Just then, Renjun walks out of his room, rubbing his stomach. He spots Jeno on the couch first, shuffling over to him. “I smelled ramen,” he says, his expression slightly hungry.

Jeno shrugs. “Donghyuck made some,” he says, motioning towards the kitchen. “But I’m pretty sure it’s already spoken for.”

Renjun looks in the kitchen’s direction, turning just in time to spot Jaemin opening the strawberry milk bottle for Donghyuck. “You can’t be so tired that you can’t open a bottle by yourself,” Jaemin teases, handing the bottle back to him.

“Why should I open it when I know you’ll do it for me?” Donghyuck shoots right back, taking the bottle. “It’s the least you could do after you made me make you ramen.”

“But you made the ramen for me even before I asked ~ ”

“Because you always try to take mine when I make some! It’s pre-emptive. Making ramen shouldn’t stress me out like this, you know.”

Renjun looks away from their bickering, his expression decidedly less hungry. “On second thought, I think I’ll go back to my room,” he says, grimacing.

Jeno pats his back sympathetically.

-

“We can just watch it in your room,” Chenle complains, tugging on Jisung’s arm.

“The TV is better,” Jisung says, frowning. “Why don’t you want to watch it in the living room?”

“ _Because_ , Jisungie,” Chenle says, as if explaining something obvious to a small child. “Jaemin-hyung and Haechan-hyung are already there. I saw them lying around on the couch when I came from the bathroom.”

Jisung wrinkles his nose, still not understanding. So what if Jaemin and Donghyuck were there? If anything, they’d probably enjoy the movie even more. Donghyuck’s commentary was usually funnier than anything in the actual movie, and Jaemin was always hilariously behind on the plot, no matter how simple the storyline was. And they were watching a _horror_ movie. Jisung needed all the laughter he could get to deal with watching something scary. “What’s wrong with that?”

Chenle sighs at him, looking annoyingly superior, as if he knows something that Jisung doesn’t. Which is bullshit, because they tell each other everything about the other members. As the youngest two in the group, they have to have ammo on everyone else so they could stay on top. Even if they were up against such formidable opponents as Renjun or Donghyuck. _Especially_ since they were up against someone like Donghyuck.

“Fine, we can watch it in the living room,” Chenle concedes, looking resigned. “Don’t blame me if you end up not being able to focus on the movie.”

_Not_ focusing on the scary horror movie sounds just fine to Jisung, so he marches triumphantly to the living room, a reluctant Chenle trailing in his wake. True to the latter’s words, their two hyungs are already there, claiming the long sofa for themselves.

Jaemin peers at them as they approach, his brow furrowing slightly. “What are you guys still doing up? I thought you two would be asleep already.”

“We wanted to watch a movie,” Jisung says. He walks towards the TV, turning it on. When he looks back, he sees Jaemin and Donghyuck’s positions for the first time.

Jaemin is sitting comfortably on one end, looking like he’s about to merge with the sofa. Donghyuck’s lying down on his lap, a small pillow tucked in underneath his ear and above Jaemin’s legs. Donghyuck is covered in a soft comforter that Jisung recognizes from Jaemin’s bed.

Donghyuck’s eyes had been closed when they arrived, but he blinks them slowly open when he hears their conversation. “Oh, Jisung-ah, Chenle-yah,” he says, looking blearily at them. He looks so tired and sleepy that Jisung feels bad for disturbing him. Maybe they _should’ve_ just watched the movie in his room. “Are you guys going to watch a movie? You want to sit on the couch?”

Jaemin subtly shoots a firm look at Jisung, obviously warning him not to make Donghyuck get up from his position. Jisung gets the message clearly. “No, hyung, it’s okay, don’t move,” he says quickly, waving his hands. “Chenle and I will sit on the floor – actually, we can just go back and watch the movie in my room – ”

“It’s fine, watch it here,” Donghyuck says, reaching out a hand for Jisung. “You’re probably going to watch a horror movie, aren’t you? You’ll get nightmares if you watch it alone, just stay here.”

Jisung almost sighs in relief. The only thing keeping him from doing so is Chenle’s watchful gaze. “How did you know we were going to watch a horror movie?” he asks, settling on the carpet. He sits right beside Jaemin’s knees, his head coming up right below Donghyuck’s face. It’s the spot that makes him feel the most secure, having his hyungs to turn to if things get too scary. Chenle sits beside him, holding the remote.

“If you were watching anything else, you’d already be watching it alone in your room,” Donghyuck says, amused. He pats Jisung’s head, gently running his hands through his hair. “You want to watch it in the living room because you’re a scaredy-cat ~ ”

Jisung sputters indignantly, while Chenle laughs loudly in agreement. He abruptly cuts himself off though, laughter dying in an instant. Jisung is confused for all of two seconds before he looks up, just in time to catch Jaemin shushing Chenle with a finger to his lips. His other hand is resting on Donghyuck’s head, stroking his head gently.

They’re acting really close these days, Jisung thinks to himself, as the movie starts. He’s not really the type to notice such things, but Jisung knows that Jaemin’s been hovering around Donghyuck a lot lately. It’s not that unusual – Jaemin usually hovers around all of them, keeping an eye on them during practice to make sure they don’t overexert themselves. It just seems like he’s doing it a lot more to Donghyuck, and with more intensity. Like Jaemin is attuned to Donghyuck’s every mood and move, ready to assist him the moment he starts feeling tired.

Not that Donghyuck _isn’t_ tired all the time – Jisung feels drained just watching him, seeing how he keeps getting shuttled back and forth to different activities, his hectic schedule packed to the brim. Jaemin has good reason to hang around Donghyuck, make sure he isn’t pushing himself too hard.

The movie starts getting intense, and Jisung feels himself shrinking back into the sofa, leaning his head against Jaemin’s leg. His hyungs have been quiet this whole time, not offering much in terms of commentary, much to his disappointment. When Jisung lets out a quiet squeal when the main antagonist appears on screen, he feels one hand on his shoulder, and another on his head – it’s Jaemin and Donghyuck, both trying to soothe him.

Chenle, meanwhile, is having a great time. Jisung sneaks a glance at him and sees how riveted he is by the movie, not scared in the slightest. Donghyuck’s hand leaves Jisung’s hair to start playing with Chenle’s ear, and Jisung almost wishes he would put it back. Chenle doesn’t _need_ any comfort, the bastard.

His point is proven a few minutes later, when Jisung lets out an honest-to-god scream as the antagonist starts stabbing everyone with a huge knife. He’s barely settled back in his seat when two hands cover his eyes, shielding him from the scene. “I’ll tell you when it’s safe to look,” Donghyuck whispers, and Jisung whimpers, shrinking back into the couch.

When the scary music finally dies down, Donghyuck withdraws his hands from Jisung’s face, instead moving to rub his shoulders comfortingly. Jisung still has his eyes closed though, unwilling to look again. Chenle seems to notice, pausing the movie and leaning forward to get a better look at his face.

“Jisungie, are you okay? Do you still want to continue watching?” Chenle asks, sounding concerned. It hadn’t even been his idea to watch this particular movie – Jisung had foolishly chosen the title, wanting to seem brave and unaffected. “Maybe that’s enough for tonight, yeah?” Jaemin suggests.

Jisung stays quiet, not wanting to admit that he’s too scared to continue watching the movie. It’s Donghyuck who steps in, wrapping his arms around Jisung’s shoulders. “Is it okay if you watch that movie another time, Jisung-ah?” he asks gently. “Hyung is a little tired, and I want to get some sleep. It’s a little too noisy for me.”

“Yeah, let’s just watch it another time, Jisungie,” Chenle says, knowing full well they’re never finishing the movie (Chenle makes a mental note to finish watching it in private – he wants to know how the main characters plan on capturing the antagonist, if they even do so at all). “We should let Haechannie-hyung go to sleep.”

“Okay,” Jisung says, opening his eyes. “Another time.”

He and Chenle get up, turning the television off. He hears Jaemin make a small noise of confusion, turning around to see Donghyuck getting up from the couch. “Where are you going?” Jaemin asks, patting his lap as if trying to summon Donghyuck back.

“Let’s tuck Jisung into bed tonight ~ ” Donghyuck sing-songs, making Chenle laugh. “It’s my thank-you to him for stopping the movie and letting me go to sleep.”

“You don’t have to tuck me in,” Jisung protests weakly, but to be honest, he’s not against the idea. He lets Donghyuck hold his hand and drag him in the direction of the room he shares with Jaemin. The latter sighs and follows after them, slinging his arm around Chenle’s shoulder.

Donghyuck swings their linked hands together as they walk, and he gently manhandles Jisung into his bed and under the covers. Jaemin releases Chenle to let him follow suit, hopping in the bed and snuggling beside Jisung.

“Chenle, you can sleep in my bed tonight if you want,” Jaemin tells him, gesturing towards his empty bed. “Haechannie and I will be staying in the living room.”

“It’s okay,” Chenle says, patting Jisung’s head. It’s embarrassing, but it comforts him. He decides not to fight against the soothing little gestures the older members insist on showering him with. “We’ll be talking for a bit before we go to sleep, anyway.”

“Don’t stay up too late, okay?” Donghyuck tells them. Jisung snorts, knowing that Donghyuck is the king of staying up late. The bags under his eyes aren’t just from prolonged practice hours – they’ve also been earned from hogging Jeno’s computer for extended periods of time.

“Call us if you get bad dreams,” Jaemin adds softly, and Jisung flushes, hiding his face under the covers. It’s not like he’s worried that Jaemin or Donghyuck will tell the others how scared he was by the movie – he’s used to being teased for that, and he doesn’t really mind. It’s just…

He kinda feels like he’s being tucked in by his parents, or something. It’s so weird.

“Good night, hyungie,” Chenle says, waving at them. “Sleep well.”

“We will. You guys too, okay? Good night,” Jaemin says. He turns the light off then, and just before they step outside, Jisung catches Jaemin linking his hand with Donghyuck’s, lacing their fingers together.

As soon as they’re out, Chenle groans, pushing his face into his pillow. “God, they’re so gross. I could barely focus on the movie at all, knowing they were behind me.”

Jisung scrunches his nose. “What are you talking about? They were quiet the whole time. I thought they’d talk more.”

“Didn’t you notice what they were doing the whole time?” Chenle asks. Jisung thinks back – the only thing he remembers to be of note was the way the two of them were constantly giving him comforting touches, trying to distract him from the scary movie onscreen. “No… I don’t think so? Why? What were they doing?”

“Mostly making big ol’ heart eyes at each other,” Chenle says, shuddering. Jisung freezes, not expecting that information. “Jaemin-hyung kept stroking Haechan-hyung’s hair and looking at him like he was the love of his life or something. Donghyuck-hyung was mostly trying to sleep but he kept smiling up at Jaemin-hyung every now and then, it was so gross.”

“Wait…” Jaemin? And Donghyuck? _Their_ Jaemin-hyung and Donghyuck-hyung? “Our Jaemin-hyung and Donghyuck-hyung?” Jisung says out loud, looking skeptically at Chenle. “Are you sure we’re talking about the same people here?”

Chenle shoots him a flat look, his judgmental stare evident even through the darkness of the room. “Are _you_ sure we’re talking about the same people here? You did see them hold hands right before they left the room, right?”

Jisung did. And as he thinks back, he realizes he’s also seen Jaemin try to feed Donghyuck from his bowl earlier, when they were eating ramen. And he’s seen the way Donghyuck had fallen asleep on Jaemin’s shoulder on the ride home from their company, Jaemin’s arm wrapped securely around his waist.

Oh, god.

Maybe he _did_ get tucked in by his parents.

-

Mark’s hand rests on the strings of his guitar, looking at the sudden text notification on his phone. He picks it up, wondering who wants to talk to him at this hour. It can’t possibly be a noise complaint – he’s always been quiet when he plays his guitar, worried about disturbing the other members even if he has his own room.

He picks it up and sees it’s from Johnny: _do u know where haechan is_

**mark**

_???_

_is he not in ur room_

**johnny**

_ure right!_

_why didnt i think to check in our room??? where i currently am???_

_alone_

_just me_

_no donghyuck_

_maybe he’s under the bed!!!!_

_thanks mark ure such a big help_

_my hero_

**mark**

_geez no need for attitude hyung_

_no idk where he is_

_but he might be in dream’s dorm???_

_they had practice for beyond this wknd_

_maybe hes sleeping there_

**johnny**

_ahhhhhhhhh rite_

_ok_

_can u ask donghyuck if hes staying there overnight_

**mark**

_k_

_y, u wanna be alone??_

**johnny**

_hell yea_

_i have things to watch babey ;)_

_i require some privacy ;)))))_

**mark**

_i still cant believe u clown donghyuck for watching his fancams when u watch ur own wayyyy more than he does_

**johnny**

_he can never know_

_and u can never tell him_

_if u tell him ill k word u_

Mark laughs, tapping out of his conversation with Johnny to open up the Dream chatroom. The last message onscreen is the last meme he sent this morning, a rabbit meme that he thought at least Jaemin might find funny. There are six sad reactions on his message though, so even Jaemin has forsaken him.

**mark**

_is donghyuck there in ur dorm_

_johnny hyung wants to know_

**renjun**

_donghyuck is here alright_

_he is here for sure_

**mark**

_okay????_

**jeno**

_i can speak for everyone in this dorm_

_haechan is definitely in this dorm_

**mark**

_u sound suspicious_

_is he outside??? pls tell me u didnt let him out_

_the managers will be so so mad_

_is he really in the dorm????_

**renjun**

_oh man i WISH he was outside_

_he’s here tho_

**mark**

_so why isn’t he answering here_

_he usually spams me w/ threats to kick me out when im here_

_he cant be asleep,,,,,,,,,, right???????_

_its too early_

**renjun**

_y don’t u call him and ask_

**jeno**

_actually yea call him and ask what hes doing_

_im really curious but like i dont wanna check myself_

_i dont wanna scar myself 4 life_

_and jaemin isnt answering either lol_

**renjun**

_lol as if nana would_

**mark**

_???_

_will get to the bottom of this_

_i swear if i find out he went out and ure covering up for him_

**renjun**

_such leadership_

_im so scared_

**jeno**

_praying for markhyungs innocence_

**renjun**

_rip mark lee 2020 opinionated but he always spittin str8 fax_

Mark raises an eyebrow at those last two messages, wondering what the heck they’re talking about. Chenle and Jisung have been quiet, too, but it’s more likely for the two of them to be asleep. As for Donghyuck and Jaemin though…

He scrolls through his contacts until he reaches Donghyuck’s ( _beloved haechannie <3_, courtesy of Donghyuck himself) and taps it, calling him. It rings for a few seconds, before someone picks up. “Hello?”

Mark blinks. This isn’t Donghyuck’s voice. “Hello? Is this Donghyuck?”

“Mark-hyung, it’s me,” the other person says, and because of the fact that Mark can _physically_ hear the pout in his voice, he knows instantly that it’s Jaemin. “How could you not recognize my voice?”

“You answered Donghyuck’s phone, Jaemin,” Mark says, amused. “Speaking of Donghyuck, is he with you?”

There’s a pause, and some movement. “He’s asking if you’re with me,” he hears Jaemin say distantly, as if he’d put the phone away from his mouth. He also hears a quiet “tell him I’m not here so he freaks out,” and he snorts.

“Ah, yeah, Mark-hyung, Donghyuck isn’t here,” Jaemin says cheerfully, his voice coming in clearly. “I don’t know where he is.”

“Where are you guys? You’re not outside, are you?” Mark asks, already smiling.

“He’s asking where we are,” Jaemin reports again, his voice fading out. “Tell him we’re in Daegu,” he hears Donghyuck say. There’s shuffling sounds, as if they’re moving sheets around. Ah. They must be in bed, hanging out. Donghyuck always did sleep better with someone next to him. “Tell him we’ve run away to volunteer at a hospital.”

“Ah, Mark-hyung, Donghyuck and I are in Daegu,” Jaemin says, his voice as bright as ever. “We’ve run away to volunteer at a hospital. I hope that’s okay.”

“As long as you’re sure about the life you’ve chosen,” Mark says seriously, grinning when he hears Jaemin chuckle. “You two be careful there, okay?”

“What, what’s funny?” he hears Donghyuck ask, and Jaemin giggles as he relays what Mark had said to him. Mark can imagine Donghyuck wrinkling his nose as he hears him say, “Are you sure you’re talking to Mark-hyung? He doesn’t make funny jokes.”

“For real, though, Donghyuck’s there? He’s okay? Not too tired?” For all the jokes and laughter, Mark really is worried. He knows better than almost anyone else how much Donghyuck hides his condition from others, never wanting to be the cause of concern.

“Yeah, he’s fine, hyung. Just being a brat, like usual,” Jaemin says fondly, and Mark hears what sounds like Donghyuck slapping Jaemin on his arm, indignantly asking why he would tell Mark that he was there. “Wait hyung, hold on, he wants me to tell you something – ”

“Oh?” Mark wonders what it could be.

There’s a long pause in which they don’t speak to each other, Mark simply waiting for someone to talk to him again. He can’t make out what Jaemin and Donghyuck are saying to each other, only that Donghyuck is laughing a lot. Finally, Jaemin returns. “Hey, Mark-hyung,” he says, greeting him in English.

“H…hey?” Mark says back, confused.

“Is… is your… is your refrigerator running?” Jaemin says in clumsy English, stumbling all over the word _refrigerator_. Mark laughs out loud in surprise, unable to help the way he falls back on the bed with his hand over his stomach.

On the other end of the line, he can hear similarly loud laughter from Donghyuck. “Why is he laughing?” Jaemin asks in Korean, and the confusion in his tone just makes Mark laugh harder. “You said he would be confused. You said this is something you say in a joke call, right?”

Mark clutches his stomach, laughing so hard his voice disappears. He remembers teaching this prank call line to Donghyuck many years ago, teaching him first how to say the difficult English syllables, and then teaching him the meaning and nuances of the joke. They’ve only been able to use it twice – once on Johnny, and once on Jaehyun, both good-natured sports who went along with the joke to humor Donghyuck. Hearing the words from Jaemin now is just a whole new level of hilarity.

“Why are you laughing? I said it correctly,” Jaemin continues to whine, as Donghyuck and Mark come down from their highs. “ _Haechannie_.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Donghyuck says, and it sounds like he’s taken the phone from Jaemin, because his voice is coming in clearly for the first time. “How was it, hyung? Wasn’t Jaemin’s pronunciation perfect?”

“A plus,” Mark laughs. “Better than your first try.”

“Okay, well I don’t think he was _that_ good – ” There’s a pause, in which Mark can only imagine the fake, hurt expression on Jaemin’s face right now. “Okay, fine, I acknowledge it. You were good.”

“I’m surprised none of the other kids have come to tell you to shut up, yet,” Mark says. “You’re being pretty loud.”

“Oh, the other members are in their rooms. Nana and I are in the living room – I mean, we’re in the lobby. At the hospital in Daegu. No rest in the life of volunteers, you know?”

So they’re in the living room. Which must be why Jeno doesn’t know what they’re doing. But then again, why would he be curious in the first place? It’s not like they’d do anything crazy. Well, crazier than usual.

“Mind telling me why Jeno and Renjun seem to think you two are up to something?” Mark presses, getting curious himself.

“Did they say something about us?” Donghyuck asks, before snorting. “We’re just cuddling, Mark-hyung. Nothing we haven’t done before – nothing we haven’t done to the others before either.”

“Ah, I see,” Mark says, which is unfortunate, because if hadn’t spoken just then, he would’ve heard Jaemin’s plaintive, “It’s not _just_ cuddling, Haechannie.” To Mark though, it makes sense. Donghyuck gets clingier the more tired he is, and if there’s anyone in the world who would indulge his physical affection, it would be Jaemin. “Okay. You’re staying there for the night, right? Johnny-hyung wanted me to ask.”

“Why? Does he want to be alone in our room? Is he watching his fancams again?” Donghyuck demands.

Mark laughs in surprise. “You know about that?”

“I’m his roommate, of course I know what his YouTube history looks like,” Donghyuck says smugly. “He’s always watching his fancams. And JCC episodes. He watches those a lot.” They laugh softly together, before Donghyuck continues. “Yeah, I’m staying here, Mark-hyung. And I might stay here tomorrow, too, because we have a dry rehearsal. Tell Johnny-hyung to watch a few of my fancams in exchange for his privacy.”

“Gotcha,” Mark says, amused. “Good luck with the rehearsal tomorrow, you guys will kill it at the concert. Take care of yourself, okay? Good night.”

“Good night, Mark-hyung,” Donghyuck says, followed by a muffled “hey, let me say good night, too.” Mark waits as Donghyuck hands the phone over, only to be greeted by a cutesy “good night, my cutie Markie-hyungie.”

“Good night, Jaemin,” Mark chuckles, and then the call is over. Feeling oddly cheerful, he returns to the Dream groupchat and starts typing.

**mark**

_theyr cuddling in the living room_

**renjun**

_oh is that what they call it now_

_doesnt sound like just cuddling to me_

**jeno**

_ill take cuddling over the actual explanation_

_ive decided i dont want to know_

**donghyuck**

_stop talking abt us and get a lifeeeeeeeee_

_and markhyung why r u still in this chat ill kick u out_

**mark**

_there we go_

_alls right w/ the world_

Mark yawns as a barrage of angry emojis flood the groupchat. His eyes are getting droopy, having lost the energy to continue playing guitar over his conversation with Jaemin and Donghyuck. Before he collapses into bed, though, he takes a few seconds to deliver one final message for the night.

**mark**

_johnny hyung_

**johnny**

_mark lee_

**mark**

_haechannie is sleeping at dreams dorm_

**johnny**

_excellent_

_good job mark lee_

_the fbi is shaking in their boots_

**mark**

_also haechan has seen ur youtube history he knows everything_

**johnny**

_FUKC_

-

Donghyuck isn’t dense.

As much as he’d like to pretend that he is, Donghyuck is unfortunately extremely in tune with how the people around him view him. It’s something he learned before he became a trainee, even back when he was simply performing for family and friends. Not everyone wears their emotions on their sleeve like him - he’d taken to watching people’s body language, looking for the smallest indications of their feelings towards them.

It’s become second-nature, almost, especially once he’s started in SM. The producers and choreographers tend to be mostly neutral or critical of trainees, only giving praise sparingly. It used to make him agonize over their opinions all night, wondering if they really did like his performance, or if he was simply imagining the approval in their eyes because he wanted it so much.

That’s why, whenever he’s with Jaemin, it’s almost terrifying how easy it is to find out exactly how the other boy feels about him.

As he finishes grilling Mark in the groupchat, Jaemin pulls him closer, kissing softly along the back of his neck. He isn’t resting his head on Jaemin’s lap this time – the other boy had whined about wanting to be closer, and so they’ve moved to their current position, lying down on the couch while Jaemin holds on tightly to Donghyuck so he doesn’t fall off the edge.

“Aren’t you done yet?” Jaemin whines, resting his chin on Donghyuck’s shoulder. “Hasn’t Mark-hyung taken up enough of our love time yet?”

“If you say those words again, I’m going to leave NCT,” Donghyuck threatens him, exiting their groupchat. “I’m going to move to Daegu for real.”

“But it’s time I spend loving you,” Jaemin protests, and Donghyuck tries, he really to resist, but he melts at the sincerity in Jaemin’s voice. “What else am I going to call it?”

Donghyuck isn’t dense. He knows that Jaemin has always been sweet and caring, so attuned to the needs and feelings of the people around him. He knows it’s normal for the other boy to worry about people and to take care of them as best as he can.

But Jaemin doesn’t buy strawberry milk for anyone else. Jaemin doesn’t let anyone else lie down on his bed directly after practice, because he hates it when his bed smells of sweat. Jaemin doesn’t make silly playlists on YouTube full of cooking videos and beach vlogs for anyone else, and he certainly doesn’t make equally silly collages of pudu deer for anyone else.

Donghyuck isn’t dense, but he isn’t brave either.

That’s why even though he knew that Jaemin liked him – that Jaemin liked him _back_ – he never did anything about it. He’s never gotten further than a hug, a joking kiss on the cheek, or a surprise thank-you dinner made up of whatever he could beg off from the dorm auntie. Because for all of Donghyuck’s bravado and confidence, he’s wildly unsure in this respect. So out of depth, out of his element – he’s afraid of not knowing what to do, and so he stays in his safe bubble and doesn’t let anything or any _one_ in.

Thankfully, Jaemin isn’t dense either. And more than that, he’s _brave_. Braver than Donghyuck could ever be.

“You’re staying here tomorrow night, too?” Jaemin asks. Donghyuck turns around carefully, Jaemin’s hold loosening to accommodate him. He finds the other boy looking at him hopefully, so open. He closes his eyes, pressing their noses together.

“I’m staying here until our manager physically drags me back to 127’s dorm,” Donghyuck promises, pleased when Jaemin giggles in response. “You know I’d stay here even when it’s time to prepare for 127’s Beyond Live, if I could.”

“What if I stay in your dorm, instead?” Jaemin asks. “I wouldn’t bother anyone. I’d bring my own food. Do you think Johnny-hyung would mind if he saw that his closet was suddenly full of instant ramen?”

Donghyuck laughs at that, opening his eyes to find Jaemin looking at him with bright, starry eyes. His eyes are always so pretty. “He’d steal it all,” he admits, pressing closer to Jaemin, as if that were even possible. “You’d starve to death. I’d be all alone.”

“You’ll starve with me,” Jaemin says firmly. “If I don’t eat, you don’t, either.”

“How sad,” Donghyuck teases. His voice turns a little wistful. “Looks like we’ll really have to run away to Daegu, at this point. There’s too many things keeping us apart here.”

“Do you think they’d think we were just running away?” Jaemin wonders. He’s purposefully ignoring the sadness that had creeped into Donghyuck’s voice for a moment, and for that, he’s grateful. Jaemin just always _knows_ , somehow. “Or would they realize that we eloped?”

“I’ve been pretty good at keeping this secret from the hyungs,” Donghyuck says, his hand toying with a strand of Jaemin’s hair. “The Dream members probably know, though. They’re with us all day.”

“They are,” Jaemin agrees. He lifts one of his hands up to gently hold Donghyuck’s face. “I can’t kiss you at all when they’re around.”

Donghyuck’s breath hitches. Even after all this time, he’s still unused to how frank Jaemin is, how he doesn’t shy away from showing Donghyuck how much he likes him. It’s exactly what Donghyuck needs, and it’s the only reason they’re able to be together like this at all. “They’re not around now, are they?” he whispers, and he leans forward to kiss Jaemin’s smile, feeling drunk on happiness.

He should be resting, he should be sleeping, he should probably be doing anything but this. He’ll probably regret staying up this late tomorrow, the way he always regrets spending an entire night playing on Jeno’s computer. Still, it’s impossible to feel anything but content, to feel anything other than stupidly in love. He pulls away from Jaemin, and he _knows_ – he knows that he really does love Jaemin, and he knows that Jaemin knows that, too. Best of all, he knows it’s mutual – and really, that’s all that matters, isn’t it?

“I love you,” Jaemin whispers, embracing him. Donghyuck tucks his face into Jaemin’s neck, knowing that the other boy can feel the shape of his smile on his skin. “I love you, too.”

-

**jisung**

_jaemin hyung_

_u and haechan hyung_

_ure not like_

_ure not married right_

_u didnt like get married without us knowing right_

**jaemin**

_awwwww jisungie r u scared of getting a new dad_

_dont worry_

_donghyuckie will be a great dad to u_

_i promise that ull accept him in time_

**jisung**

_oh god_

_do i at least get to choose who gets custody of me_

**jaemin**

_jisungie thats for when we get divorced_

_which will never happen_

**jisung**

_i want to live in the 127 dorm tho_

_they have two whole floors_

**jaemin**

_theres really no use raising children huh_

_< /3_

**Author's Note:**

> nahyuck nation please befriend me
> 
> -
> 
> talk to me! I draw art too
> 
> [(art) twitter](https://twitter.com/lacie_draws) | [cc](https://curiouscat.me/lacie_draws)


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